A Year to Remember(99)
“Any plans to get married?”
“No, we’re taking things slow.” If slow meant living in sin together with no talk of marriage.
“Why don’t we ask him? Adam?”
He walked on the set, smiling, and looking handsome in his tuxedo. What was he doing?
“Hi, Bethany.”
“Welcome, Adam. So I’m asking you, any plans on getting married?”
“Nothing official, but I can tell you this. One day, the woman sitting next to me will be my wife.”
“Why don’t you ask her right now?”
“No, it’s not romantic enough for her. Trust me, when it happens, she’ll be surprised.” He smiled as though he had a secret.
“Will you let us know when it happens?” she asked to the both of us.
“No,” I responded as Adam said, “Sure.”
“We look forward to hearing all about it,” she stated, then finished the segment.
When the red blinking light on the video camera went out, I punched Adam in the shoulder. “We were almost in the clear! No more media coverage and you had to say sure.”
“By the time we get engaged, we’ll be old news.”
“Why, will it be a long time from now?” I asked, trying to pry the information out of him.
“It could be tomorrow, and we’ll be old news. She was just being nice. No one will care about you and me and our little Michigan wedding. Trust me.”
“I do trust you. It’s them I don’t trust.” It was then I remembered Missy had been waiting for me backstage. I didn’t see her anywhere.
When we got back to the Green Room, Missy was hanging up with someone. She’d been crying.
“You guys were great,” she sniffled.
I gave her a hug. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. Let’s just go.”
“Happy Birthday, Sara,” Adam said, kissing my cheek.
I linked arms with both Missy and Adam and walked out of the studio without looking back.
EPILOGUE
MARCH 25, 2013
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
“How are we ever going to get through this night without getting drunk?” Adam teased, referring to last year’s Seder, when he and I platonically ended up in bed together after drinking too much wine.
As we entered my parents’ house, I swatted away his hand that had rested on my backside. “Behave yourself!”
He removed his hand and placed it on the back of my neck and kissed my cheek. “I can never behave myself around you. You know that.”
We walked into the kitchen only to find my parents making out. I immediately covered my eyes with my hands. “Sorry, I didn’t know this room was taken.” I giggled.
My parents grinned at each other as though they shared a secret. I hoped Adam and I would steal kisses in our kitchen after thirty-five years of commitment.
My father shook hands with Adam while my mom gave me a hug.
“Everyone is already in the dining room,” my mom told me.
After giving hugs to my family, I introduced Adam as my boyfriend. They remembered him as Seth’s best man and commented how romantic it was I fell in love with my brother’s best friend. A few minutes of small talk later, we began our Seder.
I had a difficult time concentrating on the service since Adam kept massaging my thighs with his hands and rubbing his foot up my leg. The room grew uncomfortably warm from his touches, so I tried kicking him to make him stop. Unfortunately, my foot missed and I kicked the chair.
“Ow!” I screamed. My whole family stared at me with questioning glances, and Adam just laughed.
“Sorry,” I muttered, embarrassed by my outburst. “I kicked the chair by accident.” Judging by the expressions on the adults in the room, they had figured out what was going on under the table.
My father cleared his throat. “Yes, well, why don’t we continue? Why don’t the children sing the “Four Questions” for us?”
All my little cousins sang the prayer, and we all clapped when they finished.
“Wait, they forgot one,” Adam said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Tonight there’s a fifth question,” he answered, getting out of his chair.
He turned my chair around to face him, then got down on one knee and presented me with a sparkling diamond ring.
“Sara, we’ve known each other for more than twenty years. You’ve been my best friend’s bossy older sister, my tormenter, my obsession, my fantasy, my crush, my friend, and my lover. I want to wake every morning to the sight of you drooling on the pillow next to me and go to sleep every night with your arms draped over my chest. I want to raise cats and children with you. I want to do all of it with you as my wife and with me as your husband. Sara, will you marry me?”